A parliamentary inquiry said the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chose to axe Western Force from Super Rugby months before a review process was completed and a decision was announced.
Force were culled from Super Rugby in August after governing body SANZAAR had earlier in the year decided to reduce the competition from an 18-team format to 15 teams for next year’s season.
The Melbourne Rebels and Force were on the chopping block, but it was the Perth-based team who were axed by the union.
The report from the inquiry, published late on Wednesday, said the parliamentary committee found the decision to cut Force was made in April, a day before a meeting with Force’s parent body, the Western Australia Rugby Union (RugbyWA).
“In terms of a final decision, the committee considers that the decision to remove the Western Force was effectively made on April 9,” the 64-page report said.
The ARU on April 10 said that either the Rebels or Force would be eliminated after consultations were made with both clubs.
RugbyWA on April 10 commenced legal proceedings against the ARU.
“From this point on, whether because of the legal action initiated by RugbyWA or for other reasons, the ARU seems to have been resistant to reinstating the Western Force,” the report added.
The axing sparked anger from supporters and backers, with a local politician successfully pushing for the parliamentary inquiry into the ARU’s decisionmaking process.
Western Force were culled, “despite the best endeavors of [billionaire backer] Andrew Forrest and the Western Australian government,” the report said.
The committee also raised concerns about the sale of the Rebels, calling for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to probe the 2015 transaction that it said had “provided virtually no benefit to the ARU and disadvantaged the other members of the ARU.”
The Rebels were under the auspices of the ARU before they were sold to Imperium Sports Management in 2015.
Imperium in August transferred the Rebels’ license to the Victorian Rugby Union.
There was no immediate response from the ARU to the report. The governing body has previously defended the integrity of the culling process.
Forrest has since announced plans for a six-team Indo-Pacific Rugby Championship, which is to include Force.
The new league could be up and running by late next year.
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